The Health Department of Northwest Michigan has received reports of fraudulent emails referencing a CDC-sponsored State Vaccination Program for the H1N1 virus. The messages request that users create a personal H1N1 "Vaccination Profile" on the www.cdc.gov web site. The message then states that anyone who has reached the age of 18 has to have his/her personal "Vaccination Profile" on the cdc.gov site.

The CDC has not implemented a state vaccination program requiring registration on www.cdc.gov. These emails are a scam and residents are asked to ignore and delete them.

Users who click on the embedded link in the email are at risk of having a malicious code installed on their computer system. The Health Department reminds users to take the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of a phishing attack:

Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.

Use caution when visiting un-trusted Web sites.

Use caution when entering personal information online.

The Health Department of Northwest Michigan is mandated by the Michigan Public Health Code to promote wellness, prevent disease, provide quality healthcare, address health problems of vulnerable populations, and protect the environment for the residents and visitors of Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, and Otsego counties. For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/hoaxes_rumors.html